The tournament changed format, returning to the days of 2004.
The event has shown a tendency to bog down with players waiting
for games to end and the start of the next round. So, four-man
pods were used in the preliminary round. Each pod player played
each of the other three members in one of three battles, Falling
Waters, Glorieta, and Brawner's Farm. The chosen battles were
all created by designer Richard Borg and generally play faster,
either due to setup or requiring only five flags instead of the
normal six. This allowed everyone to play a minimum of three
battles and still finish by noon. At least that was the plan.
Poor execution of the plan bogged down the tournament at times.

Eleven pods were played and eight players with the best record
advanced. There were eight undefeated players, but one declined
advancement, allowing Jim Bell to continue with a 2-1 record.
Preliminary play did in four former champions with only the former
twice anointed Jeff Cornett advancing. The quarterfinal battle
was Cedar Mountain, a very different scenario than the preliminary
rounds. Each side only receives a hand of three cards. A good
amount of terrain and lots of troops made for a long round. The
Confederacy may have had a slight advantage and won three of
the four battles.

The semifinals consisted of 2008 champ Jeff Cornett's Union
vs Patrick Mirk and Joe Powell's Union vs Ben Knight in Savage
Station. Savage Station is a little known scenario Richard created
for a tournament in 2002. In the first semi Jeff turned turtle
and that clearly frustrated Patrick whose dice abandoned him.
Jeff dispatched him handily, 6-1. In the second match, Ben's
rebels stormed out aggressively and built a quick lead, but Joe
was able to weather the storm. When Ben's cards ran dry, Joe
took a 6-5 win.

The Final used the classic Gettysburg (second Day) scenario
of the original game. It also marked a change. The two previous
scenarios were slower paced with lots of maneuvering. This one
was quick and bloody, lasting only 30 minutes. After only one
turn of movement, the flags began to fall with Cornett able to
claim his third BCY title 6-4.

Based on the response this year, next year's event should
be based on the reprinted version. More games were played with
the new card deck and rules and it should become the "default"
for the tournament. Other changes that should also be considered
include a different tie-break system; allowing all pod winners
to advance; and better organization between the GM and assistants.
Most importantly, Game Designer Richard Borg has promised a new
set of scenarios for the tournament.